So who's holding the leash?
by wayofthepen
Summary: Naruto is hit by a nasty jutsu that gives his body foxlike traits, and his mind the intelligence of one. He is trusted to Kiba's team, but Hinata comes to realize a little embarrassment is the least of her worries.NaruHina.
1. Transformation

aww, crap. Serious or silly? Serious or silly? I can't decide, so forgive me if it seems to bounce between the two.

takes place during the filler arc

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Tsunade walked into the hospital room, taking in the sight of the genin crammed into the large room, several showing the marks of a fight. Their sensei looked up at her when she entered, and across from them all, a single bed, the figure shifting underneath the sheets, blonde hair all that was visible.

"Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, what happened?"

"Our teams had just finished the mission when we were caught in a battle between a group of missing-nins from the hidden grass and the jounin sent to eliminate them. They weren't that strong, but…"

"But?"

"You'd better…see it for yourself."

Stepping forward, Tsunade pulled the sheet away. The cloth dropped from nerveless fingers when she saw what was underneath. Naruto's human ears were gone, and in their place, two large, fuzzy fox ears stuck out from the sides of his head. Looking down, Tsunade saw he had also sprouted a red, furry tail, also foxlike.

"It's not the kyuubi." Kakashi whispered to her from across the room. "Just a henge."

Raising his voice to normal levels, he now addressed everyone in the room.

"The hunter-nins from the hidden grass told me the men they were chasing had…issues…with women."

"Issues? What do you mean?"

"Apparently, they had the nasty habit of not doing whatever they said. So, their leader worked to design a jutsu that combines a sort of seal along with forcing a partial transformation. For some time, nobody had given any thought to his dislike of strong women aside from not putting any young girls under his command, until several girls from nearby villages went missing. They were tracked a few days later to another village…tending…to some men who shared his beliefs. Their intelligence had been reduced to almost the level of an animal's, and all were marked with animal traits, furry ears, tails and such."

"How disgusting…Naruto was affected by this…jutsu?"

"Y-Y-Yes."

Tsunade turned as Hinata walked forward, head bowed.

"I was attacked when I went to help Kiba-kun, and when we were knocked down, he tried to put the seal on me, and Naruto-kun jumped in front to protect me…it's all my fault…"

"No, it's not." Kurenai laid a reassuring hand on Hinata's shoulder, offering a smile. "Naruto will be back to normal before you know it."

On cue, the boy on the bed stirred and sat up, blinking at the people in front of him before mewing quietly.

"Hey there, little guy…"

Kiba walked up slowly, extending a hand, his body relaxed. Naruto shrunk away for a moment before leaning forward and sniffing in Kiba's direction, relaxing. Kiba reached out and began lightly scratching him behind one ear, and Naruto began to yip his appreciation, grinning and leaning into the attention. While he was distracted, Kiba pointed with his other hand to a mark on Naruto's chest, six tomoe in two rings over his heart.

"That's the seal itself. The Grass nin said they'll send a messenger with information on how to remove it as soon as they can."

Tsunade leaned over for a better look, and Naruto growled at her.

"I don't think he likes you…"

Tsunade gave Kiba a frightening glare before switching to an even more disturbing grin.

"Oh, Kiba, since you have experience with this sort of thing, why don't _you _take care of him?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Consider it a mission."

"Awww…"

Stepping away, Kakashi joined her in the doorway while the rest of the genin took their turns approaching Naruto.

"You're sure…"

"As far as I can tell, it's not disrupting the kyuubi's seal in any way. But needless to say, if any of the villagers catch him like this…"

They looked back to see the girls cooing over Naruto. Ino was giving him a tummy rub.

"The genin seem fine with it."

"Apparently."

"Alright. Kiba! Shino! Hinata!"

They turned in unison, and Tsunade stepped back into the room and stopped in front of them.

"As of right now, your mission is to look after Naruto until the seal is removed and he is returned to normal. Kiba, is his condition, I don't think it would be wise to let him wander in public. Is there room at your clan's complex for him?"

"Umm…sure, if you think that's necessary."

"I do. The rest of you are returning to your normal duties."

Once Kurenai and her team were the only ones left in the room, they grabbed Naruto's belongings and tried to decide who would have what duties in regards to Naruto's care. Kiba, however, knew what the first, and most important order of business was: remembering where he put his camcorder. If he had to take care of fox-Naruto, he wouldn't come out of it empty-handed.


	2. Feeding

(Hinata's reaction is a reference to a one-shot I wrote earlier.)

Also, if you don't know much about the Inuzuka clan, Wikipedia has lots of info, I reference it a lot when writing fics.

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The lock turned, Hinata and Shino letting themselves into Naruto's apartment.

"T-This way."

"Have you been in Naruto's apartment before, Hinata?"

Shino watched as Hinata's entire body froze in mid-step.

"N-n-n-n-no?"

"…"

Heading deeper in, Hinata wordlessly waved Shino towards the bedroom while she looked for anything in the kitchen or living room that they might need while handling Naruto. Other then the cupboards crammed full of instant ramen, there wasn't anything that fox-Naruto could use while his intellect was diminished. A few minutes later, Shino came out of the bedroom with some clothes in a duffel bag and Naruto's pillow and bedsheets under his other arm.

"Bedsheets?"

"Kiba once told me some animals are very particular about changes to their surroundings. These have his own scent on them, and should help him relax while sleeping in a foreign environment."

"Oh. Then…"

Hinata turned and placed some of Naruto's ramen stock into some shopping bags. She shrugged and smiled when she turned back around, and the two left to rejoin Kiba at the inuzuka complex.

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"Sit!"

Akamaru sat. Naruto just stood there dumbly, tilting his head and looking puzzled.

"Kami…as if you weren't a big enough idiot to begin with…"

"Kiba? Is that you? I thought the mission…wasn't…"

"Mother, umm…I got a new mission from the Hokage…here…"

Kiba reached into a pocket and pulled out a sealed note, which he offered to his mother. When she didn't take it, he realized she was tensed, almost as if she was expecting an attack.

"Mom?"

She finally took the note, lifting it so she kept Naruto in her field of view. After a moment, she relaxed somewhat and stuffed the note into a pocket.

_NOT the kyuubi…_

"Alright. Keep a constant watch on him."

"Huh? Mom, the guy **is **housetrained. At least, I think he is…"

Later that evening, after a guest room had been prepared for him along with seals to make sure he stayed inside. That puzzled the genin to no end as they sat around a table reviewing the instructions the Hokage had sent them.

"Look at this…Naruto is not to be left alone, he is **not **to be allowed to wander in public…what is this?"

"It is rather excessive."

"Y-yes."

Across the room, in front of the stove, Kiba's mother and sister slowed what they were doing for a moment before continuing to prepare dinner.

"M-my father was even sent a note saying that I might be staying away if home if someone was needed to watch him."

"Mine as well. It's strange…you don't think the Hokage believes Naruto is a danger to anyone, perhaps?"

"What? C'mon! It's Naruto! I mean, look!"

Next to the table, on the floor, Naruto and Akamaru were having a staring contest, tails held high and waving slowly.

"If Akamaru feels safe around him, that's good enough for me."

"Alright you all, dinner's ready."

"Din-oh! Almost forgot! Just a second, sis!"

Hana watched him speed off and return quickly carrying his camcorder.

"Kiba, what are you doing?"

Kiba merely grinned and switched it on as Naruto jumped up and lunged for the food. Tsume whacked him on the head with a spoon and he fell back, clutching his head and whimpering.

"**_Sit._**"

He sat, staring up at the table's edge, ears drooped. Kiba recorded it all with a laugh.

"Chapter one! Feeding your foxboy!"

"Kiba, turn that thing off and eat your dinner."

Naruto's head rose back up, eyes peeking over the edge of the table, his gaze going between Tsume and her spoon and the food in the middle of the table.

"H-h-here, Naruto."

Hinata filled a bowl for him and set it down on the floor. Naruto jumped on it and began eating messily. With one hand, Kiba began eating as well. The other hand held the camera out to record the scene. Hinata jumped when she felt a tug on her leg, and looked down to see Naruto holding the empty bowl up, his face a mess.

"Umm…more?"

Naruto yipped happily began nuzzling her leg, getting sauce all over the cloth.

"N-N-N-Naruto-kun!"

Across the room, Kuromaru shook his head and sighed.

"Pups."


	3. grooming

"Kiba…"

"Alright, just let me set this down here…good. Chapter two, grooming your foxboy! Now…C'mere, Naruto!"

Naruto took a step back as his name was called.

"Naruto…"

The foxboy began backing away.

"Get him!"

Naruto tried to run, but Kiba and Shino leapt on top of him. Between the two of them, they were able to lift the struggling boy and keep him from escaping, Naruto beginning to whine piteously.

"On three! One…two…three!"

With a splash, fox-Naruto landed in the pond, Kiba and Shino wading in after him and assaulting the poor boy with soap and brush, scrubbing the now-docile, whimpering foxboy clean.

"Don't give me that!"

They had tried not ten minutes earlier in the bathhouse. The resulting mayhem had left the room demolished and Tsume had thrown a fit when she saw the damage done.

"There!"

Naruto sank up to his nose in the water, sitting perfectly still as Shino and Kiba walked to shore. Shino picked up a towel and motioned to the boy.

"Come out, Naruto."

Naruto didn't move.

"Naruto…c'mon!"

Kiba began walking towards the water when Naruto suddenly shot upwards. He lifted his nose and began sniffing the air, a deep, happy purr rolling out of his throat before he ran right past the startled boys and into the guest house.

"There, almost ready."

Hinata hummed happily to herself as she prepared Naurto's lunch. Real ramen, not the instant garbage. It had some meat, and she had sneaked some vegetables inside after remembering Kakashi-sensei mentioning how atrocious Naruto's dietary habits were.

"I hope he likes it."

She blushed and sat down, watching the pot boil quietly.

"NARUTO!"

"Kiba?"

"COME BACK HERE!"

"Kiba! What is it? Is something wrong?"

Hinata heard the tramp of feet closing fast and other feet in fast pursuit.

"NARUTO! PUT YOUR DAMN PANTS ON!"

"P-p-p-p-p-p-pants?"

Full frontal foxboy skidded to a stop in front of Hinata.

A moment later, Shino, carrying a towel, and Kiba, waving a pair of pants, jumped through the doorway into the kitchen.

"Hinata?"

"Yes?"

Naruto was sitting at the table, tail waving frantically, drooling open-mouthed as Hinata calmly placed a fresh bowl of ramen in front of Naruto, who yipped once before cramming his face into the bowl.

"Hinata…"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Err…it's just…Naruto…"

"What about Naruto?"

"He's…naked…"

"Yes…you two did just bathe him, right?"

Kiba's mouth dropped open and he stared, aghast, at the perfectly calm girl before him. He tried to say something else, but found he couldn't. He tried to say it with gestures, but Shino motioned at him to stop.

"Shino?"

"I believe…she's in shock."

"Ohhhhhhhhh…"

"There, it's wearing off."

A small trickle of blood made it's way out of Hinata's nose as her face went from pale white to bright pink. She stiffened a moment before collapsing in a boneless heap, Shino catching her before she hit the ground and carrying her away, leaving Naruto to slurp up his ramen and Kiba to stand there, fidgeting with the foxboy's pants and hoping Naruto didn't need **another **bath, considering the way the boy ate.


	4. a painful subject

Slight revision to Hinata's reaction

* * *

"You two…"

Naruto and Akamaru sat on their haunches, staring innocently up at Kiba. Next to them, the pieces of a broken vase were spread across the floor.

"What happened?"

The two tried their very best to look cute. Kiba glared, Hinata smiled and Shino stared silently.

"Akamaru…"

Akamaru yipped out a reply that made Kiba sigh.

"Oh, great."

"W-what did he say?"

"Akamaru said he was bored after being cooped up inside the house for so long…so he decided to play with Naruto."

"Play?"

"Yeah…let's just clean this up before anyone comes home."

Akamaru yipped out something else under his breath.

"You mean there's **more?**"

Akamaru made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a nervous laugh.

The three genin managed to clean everything as quickly as they could, with Kiba hoping his mother wouldn't notice the shortage of pottery. They returned to the livingroom when they were finished. Akamaru and Naruto were sprawled out on the floor, staring at nothing. Having nothing to do became tiring very quickly, sped along by a low groaning by the two on the floor.

"Alright!"

Kiba jumped from his seat and headed for the door. Akamaru and Naruto were at the door before him, tails waving with excitement.

"B-But…he's not supposed to go outside!"

"She's right. The mission instructions-"

"I know, I know! We'll take him to where we train. It's private enough. That's where we're supposed to be right now, anyways."

"I…suppose."

"Honestly…not supposed to be seen by civilians? What's with that?" Kiba's voice grew distant a moment before he reappeared with his camcorder, stuffing it into a pocket. "And 'a constant watch' and 'not allowed out of the Inuzuka complex' c'mon! What does Tsunade-sama think is going to happen?"

"I wonder…"

"Shino-kun? What is it?"

"Do you remember…the look on the godaime's face when she pulled the sheet off of him in the hospital?"

"I…yes, but…what did it mean?"

"Hinata…Shino…haven't you two ever wondered…why everyone seems to hate Naruto? I asked my parents about it once, a long time ago. I remember the look they gave me…gave me the chills. Shino? Have you-"

"Yes. My parents, as well, refused to talk about it. Hinata?"

"I tried to ask once…my father…"

Hinata shivered, and she said nothing more. Shino's expression was unreadable, and Kiba turned to Naruto.

"Hey. Naruto."

His ears perked up, and Naruto turned to him. Kiba stepped forward and placed a collar around the foxboy's neck, checking to make sure it was secure.

"Why?"

Naruto didn't answer, only scratched at the heavy leather collar.

"Why does everyone hate you?"

Naruto froze, his eyes lowering, the look of happiness from a moment before replaced by sadness.

"Was it something you did?"

Naruto's head snapped back and forth in a 'no' motion, soundlessly clutching his stomach. His body began to shake, his expression changing, anger mixing with the sorrow. Kiba startled and reached out, grabbing the blonde's hand, pulling it away as blood trickled out from beneath his hand and trailing down his stomach. Naruto made a low, whimpering sound and grabbed his stomach with his other hand, tearing into the skin with his nails. Hinata stood frozen in shock as Shino rushed forward to grab Naruto's other arm, and the two genin tried to hold his arm out wide with Naruto struggling against the two of them.

"Naruto…"

Naruto was slammed face-first against the wall, Kiba and Shino putting all their body weight on him, trying to keep his arms pinned behind his back.

"Naruto!"

Kiba yelled in surprise when Naruto's fingernails found his skin and clamped down. Kiba tore the arm away and wrenched it upward, lifting Naruto's heels off the ground. Finally, completely restrained, Naruto opened his mouth and began to shriek in rage, frustration, and pain.

"NARUTO!"

The screaming stopped, and the foxboy turned his head to see Hinata standing behind him, eyes wide with tears running down her face.

"You don't…have to tell us…so please…just stop…hurting yourself…_please_…"

The two genin felt Naruto's body relax, his fingers no longer straining, flexing, clawing at the air. After a glance at each other, the two slowly released his arms and stepped away. Naruto slid to the floor, curling himself into a ball, and Hinata crouched down next to him, gently placing her arms around him while Kiba and Shino watching warily.

* * *

"He's finally asleep."

Hinata sat down and reached for a cup of tea with trembling hands, all three genin looking haggard.

After tending to his wounds, Naruto had bounced back within a few minutes, cheerful as ever, and the team had nervously disguised him, took him out to a secluded area, chased each other around for a few hours, brought him home, fed him, and set him to bed, luckily without incident. The three had looked in on him a few minutes later to find him tossing in bed, restless. He was the same a few minutes later. An hour later. Past midnight, and the eavesdropping shinobi finally saw the look in his eyes that betrayed the half-smile that he had worn the entire afternoon.

The teacup didn't even make it to Hinata's lips before her hands began to shake so badly that a cloud of Shino's bugs flew out to steady it and guide it back onto the table.

"Why?"

The two boys didn't have an answer for her, and sat in silence until they saw that Hinata had fallen asleep. Gently laying a blanket over her, the two snuck away, pausing before they separated for what was left of the night.

"Shino…tomorrow…I want to have an answer for Hinata."

"I…have to say this. Whatever the source of the hatred towards Naruto, it was kept a secret from us for a reason. What if…we do not like what we learn?"

"How can you say that? Do you really believe-"

"It is a possibility we should be prepared for."

"So, we find out, and decide whether or not to tell Hinata? Is that what you're saying?"

"I am saying that Naruto is our friend. I am saying that Hinata is in love with Naruto. I am saying…with whatever we discover, that may change."

"No. It won't."

"Why?"

"Because!"

Kiba grinned, for the first time in hours.

"We're his friends, aren't we?"

"Very well. Until tomorrow, then."

Kiba waved back at Shino as he turned and headed off. Shino didn't even spare a glance at Naruto's door as he headed for his own guest room, whispering to a bug on his fingertip.

"We are his friends, until tomorrow. And after that, who can say for sure?"


	5. Assemble the team

"Hey, Kiba!"

"Mmmmeerrrrrrr?"

"KIBA!"

"AH! I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"And it's about time! Your breakfast is getting cold. Hurry up and…Kiba, what's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing, mother."

Kiba sat up and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes, his mother looming over him.

"Naruto wasn't looking too good last night, so we stayed up to watch him."

"Oh. Well, if you think there's something wrong with him-"

"Yeah, hospital, I-"

"**No. **Just…send someone for Sakura-san. She can examine him here."

"Umm…alright."

As his mother retreated downstairs, Kiba found something with long sleeves to hide his injured arm and added what she said to his growing mental list of 'things that made no sense but were probably very important.' Downstairs, Shino and friends were already eating, some destruction bugs attacking a few pieces of rice that had fallen to the floor. Kiba grimaced as they flew upwards and back into their host. Kiba liked the guy, but he did **not **need to see that before breakfast.

"Good morning, Kiba."

"Morning. Where's..."

"Hinata is still asleep."

"Oh, good."

"Hmm?"

Hana looked up from her food, and Kiba hoped she didn't know that they knew about…whatever it was they weren't supposed to know about.

"Naruto wasn't looking so good last night, and Hinata was worrying herself sick."

"Is he alright?"

"I think so, but I'm going to call someone to take a look anyways. Sakura-san, maybe."

"Y-yes, that would be fine…"

_That would be 'fine?'_

A few minutes later, a very haggard-looking Hinata came downstairs to join them, and other then the expected pleasantries, the rest of breakfast was eaten in silence, and once Tsume and Hana had left for the days' mission, the three genin headed for Naruto's room. Inside, he was snoring loudly, the skin on his stomach unmarred and looking completely at peace.

"Damn…"

"Kiba?"

"Yesterday…really happened, didn't it? The way he reacted, then going right back to normal."

Kiba pulled one sleeve up, the marks he received on his arm nothing compared to what Naruto did to himself.

"And now, there's not a mark on him."

"I think…I think I remember from the chuunin exams…"

"Hinata?"

"After his fight with you…his injuries healed _so fast…_"

"He has always been a fast healer. Even for a shinobi."

Kiba began pacing, muttering to himself as he circled the room.

"None of this makes any sense...so many weird little things...nothing that would explain anything."

"They are clues, nonetheless. We need only put them in their proper context and follow them to a conclusion."

"Heh. Easier said then done."

"Maybe…we could ask Shikamaru-kun for help? I've heard he's good with these sorts of things…"

Kiba stopped his pacing, turning to his teammate with a wide grin.

"Yeah…yeah! But…"

"What is it?"

"Think…bigger."

* * *

"So…"

Shikamaru sat in the most comfortable chair in the room, rubbing his shoulder after Kiba had forcibly dragged him to the Inuzuka complex. He spared a half-hearted glare at Chouji and Ino, who had done nothing to help him when the demented genin had grabbed him in the middle of the street and began to carry him away.

"Why are we all here?"

The rest of the assembled genin all turned to look at Kiba and Shino, who looked back with the utmost seriousness. Team Gai and team Asuma minus their sensei sat or stood around the room, waiting with varying degrees of interest.

"And why did you want us to keep this a secret from the jounin?"

"Hinata, bring him in."

Hinata walked into the room, followed by Naruto and Sakura. Tenten gasped, covering her mouth with one hand and pointing at Naruto with the other.

"Naruto…he's…"

Kiba immediately turned towards Tenten. Could she know what was going on?

"He's so CUTE!"

Akamaru whimpered and covered his ears as Tenten let out a squeal that was probably heard by half of Konoha, and Kiba dropped his head, dejected.

"I mean, Ino told me about him, but I didn't expect…he's just…and he's even got a collar…"

While Tenten was busy staring, Kiba caught Hinata's gaze and nodded. In turn, she laced her fingers together and activated her Byakugan, scanning the surroundings and breathing a sigh of relief when she was finished, sinking into a chair with Naruto sitting on the floor next to her.

"We're alone."

The genin around her began to mumble to each other, and Kiba let out a sharp whistle to get their attention.

"All right. The reason we called you all here…it's simple. Does anyone here know why everyone in the village seems to hate Naruto?"

A chorus of confused, exchanged looks, mumbled out-loud thoughts and shaking heads were his answer, and Kiba flopped back onto his chair, resting his chin on his hands.

"Sakura, you have to know something."

Everyone turned to look at her, and she stiffened at the sudden attention.

"N-no. I…I never knew. I mean, I wondered why my parents told me to stay away from him…"

More mumbling, and Hinata suddenly jumped to her feet.

"Is that it? You all just…saw what people were saying about him, what the people **did to him **when they thought no one was around to see it! And…and…none of you did anything? How can you just…"

She stopped as Naruto mewed quietly, tugging on her leg and looking up at her. Hinata sat next to him on the floor, smiling even as a tear formed. Neji took in the scene with a cool gaze, having learned about Hinata's crush on Naruto long ago.

"Look…whatever the big secret is, it's been purposely kept from us. So getting to the truth will probably mean breaking a lot of rules. If you're not okay with that, you should leave now. But everyone that stays agrees to do whatever it takes to find out what's going on."

Lee jumped to his feet in a full-on resolute-strength-of-youth-pose, weeping dramatically.

"It is true we did nothing before, but we are shinobi now! This dark pall over Naruto's life has lingered far too long, and I will give every ounce of strength I have to unraveling this conspiracy, no matter what challenges I may face!"

"Right!"

Tenten joined him on her feet with a pose all her own, and the two looked back at Neji in unison, who blanched at the sight but nodded his agreement.

"You're right."

"Chouji?"

Chouji stood, and with shaking hands, pulled out the last chip of the bag he was holding. Slowly, reverently, he fed it to Naruto.

"I cannot call myself a shinobi of the hidden leaf if I ignore this. You will have my help."

"Mine too!"

"Ino…"

"After everything Naruto has gone though for this village, it's despicable the way the villagers still look at him."

After a few moments, Shikamaru was the center of attention, and he let his head drop over the back of the chair, groaning loud enough for everyone to know how much he didn't like being shanghaied into this, but he agreed all the same.

"Alright!"

Kiba unrolled a scroll and spread it out on the table in front of him.

"This is how I think we should start…"


	6. first recon

_First, we need to know more about the Uzumaki family…_

As the Hokage's apprentice, Sakura spent a lot of time in and out of the administrative buildings of Konoha, and getting to the needed records should be simple enough. Problem was, they didn't seem to exist.

"Excuse me, Tsunade-sama?"

"Ah, Sakura, what can I do for you?"

"Naruto wasn't looking well last night, so I went to check on him."

"Is he alright?"

"I think so, but…"

"What is it?"

"I was a little worried at first, so I wanted to check the treatment history for the Uzumaki family. But I can't seem to find it in the hall of records."

Sakura watched as Tsunade and Shizune shared a surprised glance at each other, and Sakura could sense a palatable aura of nervousness from them both which came and vanished in a moment, though when Shizune spoke, she sounded less then convincing.

"Well…perhaps it was misfiled."

"I'm sure I checked everywhere, very carefully…"

Sakura did her best to portray an innocent, slightly befuddled little girl, tapping her temple with one finger and rolling her eyes upwards.

"I'm sure they're around, somewhere. I'll have someone look for them and send them to your home."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Sakura bowed and left. She could feel Tsunade and Shizune's eyes boring into her back. Shizune didn't prod Tsunade to begin working again like she always did after the Hokage's work was interrupted, and there was no expected sigh from Tsunade in turn. It was perfectly quiet when Sakura left, after she closed the door behind her, and as she continued down the hall as if nothing unusual was happening. She could still sense the Hokage's attention on her. There was no way she could stay outside the door and eavesdrop on someone of Tsunade's level, but the long silence had told her plenty.

* * *

…_and about Naruto himself…_

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei."

"Oh, hello, Chouji."

"One bowl of miso ramen, please."

Chouji waited until the owner of Naruto's favorite ramen stand disappeared into the kitchen before continuing.

"So, it's funny about what Naruto turned into, you know? Because of all the pranks he used to pull."

"Turned into?"

"Oh, didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"A missing-nin used a nasty jutsu on him during his last mission, so Kiba-kun and his team are taking care of him until it can be dispelled."

"What kind of jutsu? How is he?"

"Oh, he's fine, just acting like a fox."

"A…fox?"

"Yeah! He's even got a big, fluffy tail and a new pair of furry red ears. It kind of suits him, y'know?"

"Y…yeah…I guess…"

The owner came back right then, and Chouji watched Iruka try to control his shaking hands.

"I was wondering…why did Naruto pull all those pranks anyways? He never seemed like the mean type."

"No, no…he…it was just…his way of getting attention."

"Getting attention?"

"Yes, his…his parent died when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. He was alone after that."

"Oh. I never knew…did you know his parents? What were they like?"

"Oh, well I…I didn't know them, not really. I just…lost my parents in that battle as well, and I guess I knew what Naruto was going through, so I tried to help take care of him."

"I see…I'm sorry."

"It's all right."

They ate in silence until they parted ways, Iruka's face a mix of emotions, most of which seemed to be worry.

* * *

_…and finally, why is everyone so uncomfortable around Naruto now?_

"Hinata…"

"Yes, father?"

He didn't respond, only continued to stare at her.

"What is it?"

He set down his tea and pointed at her head.

"Oh!"

She lifted a hand up and tweaked the cat ears she had given herself with _henge, _the tail appearing from behind her and waving in the air.

"I had forgotten all about it, sorry."

She released the transformation, and continued eating her lunch as if nothing had happened.

"Why were you in such a ridiculous form?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see how I would look with them, after seeing Naruto-kun with his fox ears and tail."

The poor teacup, having just returned to Hiashi's hand, exploded. Hot tea and shards of porcelain were sent flying, with Hinata and Neji quickly protecting themselves. Hiashi's face was set in stone, completely unreadable as he tried to clean himself up. Inner Neji was bent double with laugher at the sight, and shored up his self-control, with what he was about to say to Hinata.

"It's unbecoming for someone of a noble family."

Hinata harrumphed and took another bite of her lunch.

"It looked nice on Naruto-kun, so I wanted to try it."

"You shouldn't even be allowed around Naruto while his mind is impaired."

"What?!"

_What is Neji doing? We're supposed to try to get information about Naruto-kun!_

"How can you say-"

"Did you really think I didn't know about your crush on Naruto?"

Hiashi gagged, covered his mouth and tried to hide it with a cough, earning himself a real coughing that left him downing two cups of water to soothe his throat.

"But…what…how did…"

"Please, Hinata. **Everyone **knows. And **you **should know that a ninja must remain impartial while on a mission, especially on one from the Hokage herself. After I saw the way you were looking at him while you were _holding his leash_-"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hiashi's eyes widen far more then Neji thought humanly possible.

"-I'm just worried you might try to take advantage of him."

On Neji's left, Hinata was speechless, her entire face flushed a deep pink. On his right, Hiashi was equally quiet, though he was twitching quite a bit. Neji quickly finished his food and excused himself. Once he was out of sight, he sped away to the nearest rooftop, pulled his shirt off, wadding it up and shoving his face into it. Now properly muffled, he could finally let out the laughter he had kept pent-up, rolling around on his back, legs kicking out, and arms tight around the cloth over his mouth.

* * *

All over Konoha, the rest of the genin discreetly tried to gain information about Naruto's past, and happily told their families about Naruto's transformation, carefully watching the reaction. They all went to bed carefully reviewing what they heard, and the pre-arraigned times to meet with Shikamaru and give him the information.

And that morning, Tsunade arrived to work to find a very irate group of jounin waiting for her.


	7. but what does it mean?

Tsunade yawned as she worked her way up the stairs. It had been a slow week in Konoha, and she had encouraged Shizune to take the day off, which meant, by extension, that Tsunade would have the day off as well. It would just be her, some sweets, a bottle of sake, and the pillow she had snuck in for just such an occasion. So when she opened the door to her office and found half the village jounin waiting for her, she immediately closed the door and began to walk back the way she came.

"Tsunade-sama!"

She swallowed the curse on her lips and turned around.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"Naruto."

"…"

A ninja she couldn't name offhand closed the door behind her, standing guard outside while Tsunade headed for her seat. The group parted for her as she passed, then gathered around her desk once she sat down, leaving jumping out the window the only escape route.

"Well? What do you all want?"

"With respect Tsunade-same, I think that's quite obvious."

She glared a moment at the man who spoke, Nara Shikamaru's father, before bowing her head slightly.

"This should not be a surprise for any of you. All of you can imagine the result of even the slightest rumor that the Kyuubi has reappeared. Naruto has been thoroughly examined and the seal has not been affected in the slightest. The changes are purely cosmetic, the result of-"

"A missing-nin's jutsu. Yes, we know. Still, how could you have not told us of this?"

"I'm sorry, err…"

"Yamanaka Inoichi. When I heard from my daughter what had happened, I-"

"Wait, wait. From Ino? She wasn't assigned to Naruto's care. When did she find out?"

"She…told me Sakura invited her to the Inuzuka complex to see him…"

"That's what Chouji said as well-"

"….And Lee…"

"Shikamaru-"

"Hinata-"

"Enough! Just…how many people know about this now?"

After a few minutes of mumbling with each other, it came out to Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi's teams, the families of the genin under each Sensei, Tsunade, Shizune, Iruka and a handful of doctors and ANBU, which had Tsunade sighing in relief.

"No civilians, at least…now, if that's all, I have a lot of **work **to do."

"No. I want Hinata removed from this mission-"

"Shino should be-"

"**No.** So far, this mission has been completely uneventful, and I want to keep it that way.The last thing we need to do is make the genin suspicious there is something unusual going on."

* * *

"You can't imagine the look on Hiashi's face after I spoke to him. And this morning, the servants said he left early on some important errand."

Shikamaru had the couch to himself, eyes closed and fingertips together, absorbing the information the genin had brought him over the course of the morning. Around him, Neji, Naruto, Hinata (who absolutely refused to acknowledge Neji's presence) and the rest of her team sat patiently for Shikamaru to provide the clues they desperately needed.

"Hey guys!"

Sakura ran into the room, waving a scroll case in the air and sitting down next to Naruto.

"Look at this…it's the medical history of the Uzumaki family. Notice anything?"

She unraveled the scroll over the table, and after a minute of intense staring, Kiba turned to Sakura.

"It's…err…"

"I mean the scroll _itself._"

Shino reached over and ran his fingers over the edge of the old and yellowing paper. Several of his bugs flew out, and began to chew on the edges before flying into the air in what looked like random motions to the other genin.

"It's a fake."

"What? How can you tell?"

"If this was an old scroll, the chemical composition would be altered slightly by time and exposure to dust, moisture, and human body oils from being handled. Also, it's own weight and the weight of other scrolls stacked on top of it would permanently deform it after a long period of storage. And this scroll…" Shino rolled the scroll up, and then quickly released it. The paper quickly unraveled by itself, with only a slight curve remaining. "Has not even been kept rolled up for a long period of time."

"Well, it's clear…"

"Shikamaru! Have you figured it out?"

"There's something going on."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"WE KNOW THAT!"

"What I _meant _was that there is an organized attempt to conceal something in Naruto's past-"

"WE KNOW THAT TOO!"

Shikamaru finally opened his eyes, just long enough to roll them at Kiba before slumping back.

"And **not **just some unpleasant family secret that no one wants to come out. Don't you get it, Kiba? The **Hokage **just ordered someone to **forge **an official record. Letters were sent home with you, to some of the most powerful clans in Konoha. From the reaction of our parents, the Hokage even kept Naruto's condition a secret from **them.** How troublesome…just what did you drag me into?"

"Oh, damn…this is really serious, isn't it?"

"Neji!"

"What is it, Shino?"

"Leave, fast! Tell the other genin to stop asking questions! If the jounin realize we're digging into this…"

Neji dashed soundlessly from the room, and the genin remaining sat silently, absorbing the implications of what was said, until Hinata spoke.

"But why now?"

"Why…what?"

"Why now? This jutsu, with Naruto being like this? Why is everyone so worried?"

Shikamaru pulled himself up straight and stared at the foxboy, napping and curled up around Hinata's feet.

"This jutsu…reduces the target's intelligence. If he can't communicate, then he can't divulge any information. He hasn't used any ninjutsu, or perhaps he simply can't, so then there would be little risk of him being a serious threat. Other then that…"

"You're forgetting something."

"Shino?"

"It is not the jutsu that concerns people…but his appearance."

"His…appearance? What about it? Ears and a tail? C'mon!"

"It can't be ignored, Kiba."

"Umm…"

"Hinata?"

"Like…_someone…_said earlier, I greeted my father last night with a pair of cat ears. But…this morning, before he left, he saw me looking at myself in the mirror with fox features exactly like Naruto's, and it seemed to disturb him, greatly."

"Fox? Foxes…foxes…what do foxes have to do with anything?"

Shikamaru reached for the scroll again.

"Sakura-san?"

"What is it, Shikamaru?"

"Asuma-sensei once told me…that some secrets are best hidden in plain sight."

"What do you mean?"

"Read this scroll as a medical ninja would, as if you thought it was real. Tell me what's true or suspect. A clue may have been placed inside unintentionally."

"Alright…um…treatments for disease coincide with outbreaks in the village…Naruto has no living relatives, his family has always been small, parents died in the battle against the…"

"Sakura?"

All the color drained from Sakura's face.

"Sakura? What is it?"

The paper tore in her hands as she unraveled the rest of the scroll, eyes darting back and forth frantically across the parchment.

"Sakura!"

She froze in mid-motion. Still as a statue, she carefully rolled the scroll up, smoothing out the wrinkles and tears almost mechanically as she put the scroll back in its case.

"What's wrong?"

"Foxes."

Her voice was smooth, perfectly flat and unemotional.

"What do you…"

"Naruto's birthday…was correct. It was also the same day both his parents died. They died…on the _same day…_"

Sakura turned her whole body, shifting slightly, balanced and tense in the same way as every other jounin did when they saw Naruto. Expecting an attack.

"The _same day…_when Konoha was attacked by the Kyuubi."


	8. and does it even matter?

_The same day…when Konoha was attacked by the Kyuubi…_

"But…but what does that have to do with Naruto?"

Out of all the genin present, Hinata was the only one not frozen in place by the mention of the ninetails.

"The kyuubi was defeated by the fourth, right?"

"Yeah, that's what we were told, wasn't it? On that day, the fourth died. The kyuubi was destroyed, and Naruto was born. And since then, people have hated him, calling him a 'monster."

"S…Shika…maru?"

"When I first met Naruto, I thought to myself, 'he can't be such a bad guy…with fangs like those.' Heh. He even looked like he had whiskers."

Kiba turned slowly, pulling himself up straight in his chair, planting his feet, ready to stand at a seconds' notice.

"But-"

"Even with the pranks he pulled, I admired his determination. He never broke a promise, he always…kept his word. That is his way of the ninja, as he likes to say."

Shino didn't more in his chair, but his jacket began to shift as large numbers of his bugs began to move around under the cloth.

"Shino? Kiba-k…what are you…"

Hinata was surrounded by her friends, looking at them and the way they were looking at Naruto in turn.

"Stop it! Just stop! You're sounding like…acting like everyone who…hurt…"

"I remember…on our first real mission together…when he has hurt really bad, when it looked like he might die, Naruto…"

"Sakura! Don't! That's-"

"He _changed._ He wasn't Naruto anymore. He was…something else…and his chakra…"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Hinata slammed her foot down with enough force to crack the floorboards as she went into a gentle fist stance, standing in front of Naruto protectively.

"He's Naruto! That's all! Everyone hated him, told him he was trash, hurt him, spat on him, but he beat them! He's not a monster! He became a shinobi of the hidden leaf! He-"

Hinata saw the genin tense and she shifted, bringing a hand up that was wreathed in chakra, pulling it back and mentally preparing the series of moves to defend against an attack from any direction and combination of genin – until she heard a tiny whisper behind her.

"Hinata…"

Behind her, Naruto had stood, awakened by her shouting. He stepped forward and put his arms around her. She relaxed after a moment, and he pulled her close, out of her stance.

"It's all right…"

"N…Naruto?"

He didn't say anything further, only pulling her back into her chair. The other four genin watched nervously as Naruto hugged her tightly and began gently licking her cheek.

"N-N-N-Naruto!"

On cue, Hinata's face exploded with color, and she attempted to free herself as Naruto grinned, shoving his face into her neck and purring happily. The tension in the air broke, and Kiba flopped back in his chair, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Aw, man…what are we doing?"

The buzzing ceased as the destruction bugs returned inside their host, and Shino removed his glasses to run his hands over his face.

"This is what I was worried about…being burdened with useless information."

"Honestly, you're all idiots…"

"Hey! I didn't see you-"

"No, you **didn't** see me getting ready to attack Naruto. I was still trying to figure this mess out!"

"Shikamaru-kun, Kiba-kun, calm down. We're here to help N-"

"What? C'mon! You were the one who was all-"Kiba raised his hands and began wriggling his fingers at Sakura, narrowing his eyes and baring his fangs for good measure. "-o_n the_ _same day as the kyuubi… oooouu whuou wouou houuouo. _And started freaking out._"_

"**Kiba…"**

Sakura advanced on Kiba, and Shino quickly stood between them, calling for peace even as Sakura began rolling up her sleeves.

"How troublesome…"

With that, Shikamaru was headed for the door, bowing out before he got caught up in this any further. Back inside, Kiba and Sakura were being kept at arms' length from each other, glaring at each other from their respective side of Shino.

"S-Stop it, Naruto!"

The sound drew their attention back to the foxboy. His hands had found their way under Hinata's shirt, and he was tickling her sides relentlessly, following her to the floor as she fell. Falling on top of her, he resumed licking her neck, and Hinata began to flail her arms around aimlessly, trying to hold in her laughter.

"H-h-h-help me!"

"Hmmm…no."

Kiba crossed his arms and smirked down at her, enjoying the show.

"Kiba! Here, I'll get him."

"Oh, c'mon…"

Despite Kiba's protests, Sakura pulled Naruto off the embarrassed girl. Naruto immediately latched onto Sakura, cramming his face into her breasts and getting a lump on the head for it. He dropped, whimpering, staring up at his teammate with sad, watery eyes.

"Don't you **start **you little pervert…"

Naruto huffed and quickly tackled Hinata back to the floor, wrapping his arms around her once again.

"N-N-Naruto!"

* * *

It was no small blessing that Tsume and Hana had been delayed on their missions. The atmosphere in the Inuzuka complex was a morass of emotion. Curiosity. Worry. Anger directed outwards at those who hurt Naruto for whatever ridiculous reason, and anger directed inwards. Not even jumping to conclusions, erring on the side of caution or simply assuming the worst, they had nearly turned on one of their best friends for quite literally no real reason.

Kiba had nearly eaten a napkin, his mind nowhere near his food. Shino's bugs were perfectly still on his skin, not the slightest twitch of antennae or click to be heard. Hinata and Naruto were the only source of sound in the entire house for hours. She laughed and talked to Naruto without the slightest blush or stutter, and he purred and yipped his appreciation as he was scratched and rubbed and even hugged.

"Hey, Shino…"

It was late, and the team was preparing for bed. Shino stopped in the doorway to his room, turning to see Kiba with his eyes fixed on the floor.

"We…really dodged the kunai, didn't we? I mean we almost…this wasn't what I wanted."

"Kiba. There may be a terrible secret in Naruto's past. He may even have some connection to the Kyuubi. Or it may be a simple matter of pride."

"Pride?"

"The things people will do for the sake of their pride…the grudges, the endless feuds between clans and even between family members…Naruto is not unlike a kitsune of legend. No doubt the villagers saw that, and saw the Kyuubi in Naruto. Hated him simply for being a reminder of the past and what they felt at that time. The kyuubi was the stuff of nightmares, but unlike the Kyuubi, Naruto was something they could fight-no, something they could _hurt_."

"Do you…do you really think it's that simple?"

"It could easily be that way. We won't know for certain unless we see this through. Will we?"

Kiba lifted his head and opened the door to his room, the expression on his face enhanced by the long shadows cast by the moonlight.

"Burdened by useless information, huh?"

He turned his head to regard Hinata's and Naruto's rooms before looking over his shoulder at his teammate.

"I started this. I'll finish it. Did you see Hinata today, the way she was when she was with Naruto? If there really is some big, dark, useless secret, I'll carry it myself, and make it look like I'm the only one that was really looking for it...Goodnight, Shino."

"Goodnight, Kiba."

* * *

Hinata had gone to bed early, but she had not fallen asleep. A few minutes after her head hit the pillow, she had heard a sound in Naruto's room. Up immediately, she had bit her lip hard enough to draw blood when she opened his door. He had been smiling that day. He was playful. He had hugged her, tickled her, _licked _her, and she had absorbed it all so happily, confidently, wanting to hold him and talk to him like that even after the seal was gone. She had been so happy that day, and until she opened his door, she never realized how acting so happy could hurt someone so much.

Naruto was sobbing. His entire body was shaking under the blankets, his face buried in his pillow. She could hear the names of her teammates and other genin whimpered between breaths and tiny screams of pain, every word accompanied by a shift as Naruto tried to curl up into a smaller and smaller ball.

The movements had stopped as a hand rested on his shoulder. A kiss on a tear-stained cheek slowed his breath, and his body relaxed as two slim arms wrapped around him. A small body joined him under the blankets and whispered a lullaby in his ear, to pull him from his worries and into a peaceful sleep

"I love you,.Naruto."


	9. Showtime

The shadow loomed over the sleeping couple, looking on as the Hyuuga girl smiled in her sleep, the Kyuubi's container wrapped around her. Something held in the intruder's hand was raised above the sleeping couple, and as Hinata's eyelids fluttered, the hand was retracted and the figure vanished from the room, the door closing just as her eyes opened.

Hinata expected her eyes to sham shut, to scream, to flail, to throw Naruto across the room, something that would have her teammates come running and she'd end up embarrassing herself in front of them for the hundredth time. She didn't. She blushed, of course. Smiled, but didn't scream. Her arms stayed where they were, and actually tightened around the blonde in her arms.

"I…really said it, didn't I?"

Hinata felt…different, somehow. She had seen Naruto in pain, and just…said what she needed to say. Naruto murmured something in his sleep and pressed tighter against her. One of his ears flicked across her nose, and without hesitation, grabbed the tip of it with her lips and began to nibble on it, laughing as Naruto fidgeted at the feeling.

Whatever it was, it felt _good._

After tormenting Naruto's ear for a few more minutes, the foxboy squirmed away from her and sat up, sitting up in the path of a sunbeam and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. A moment later, he looked down at Hinata with something akin to disbelief, reaching out and poking her a few times. Hinata giggled and sat up, kissing him full-on. It was Naruto's turn to be shocked, falling flat on his back and scrambling away. He stared at her and sat up, crawling back towards her, and after a few sniffs and a curious look, leaned forward, a ghost of a kiss before dropping his head and preparing to be throttled. Instead, he got another kiss on his head, and looked up to see Hinata heading out the door, humming a song to herself. Her fox was close behind.

* * *

"'Morning, Shino."

"Good Morning, Ki…Kiba, what's with that expression?"

"Hmm?"

"Arf!"

"That grin."

"You'll see…oh, where's Hinata? Is she up yet?"

The sound of running water was his answer, a showerhead being turned on upstairs.

"Ah. I'll set a place for her and-"

A knock on the door, and Shino stood while Kiba set the table for breakfast. Shino came back with Kurenai-sensei, who stepped into the room with a small flourish that made the two genin stare.

"Kurenai-sensei?"

"I just came to tell you that a nin-bird arrived this morning carrying instructions on how to remove the seal from Naruto."

"That's great! How long till he's back to normal?"

"Preparations are already underway, so a few hours, perhaps. Naruto needs to undergo some testing first, so we need to bring him to the Hokage, and…where is he?"

"Probably still asleep. I'll have Hinata get him ready."

"Hinata? How is she handling things?"

"Oh ho…she's handling Naruto pretty well, actually…"

"What do you mean?"

Kiba didn't say anything more, only offering a spot at the table for his sensei, and the three relaxed until Hinata came downstairs with Naruto close behind. Hinata jumped with joy at the news, and after breakfast, the three were bouncing over rooftops towards Konoha hospital.

Unsurprisingly, Kiba could sense several nin shadowing them from the moment they left the Inuzuka complex, all the way to the shinobi wing of the hospital, and down into the specialized treatment area. There was little else to do but sit and wait after Naruto was separated from them. Almost.

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Yes, Kiba?"

"Are you…doing anything tonight?"

* * *

"Ung…"

Naruto rapped his skull a few times as he walked back towards Kiba's home. His head still felt fuzzy, though Sakura assured him that was nothing unusual, smirking as she did. Alongside them, Kakashi-sensei feigned disinterest, his nose buried in one of his perverted books, though Kurenai-sensei was staring openly at Hinata, who was walking side-by-side with Naruto, smiling and blushing but not incapacitated.

* * *

"Hey, Naruto!"

"Enh?"

Naruto paused, his arms piled with his belongings, a few steps from the door to his apartment. Kiba had a decidedly maniacal grin on his face, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Tonight, my place. Eight o' clock. We're…having a little party. You're the guest of honor!"

"Huh? I am?"

"Of course! So don't be late!"

"Right!"

* * *

"Kiba…"

"Yeah mom?"

"You said, 'a few people' Not half of Konoha!"

The assembled genin and sensei grinned as Kiba's mother loomed over him, and he shifted nervously.

"And what is _that?_"

That was a screen covering one wall, with Shino setting up a projector opposite it.

"Oh, that's…"

A doorbell interrupted him, and he dashed off with his mother yelling at him. He returned with a normal-looking Naruto, and his mother suddenly quieted, shifting uncomfortably as he guided Naruto onto the sofa, right next to Hinata.

"OKAY! Lights!"

Shino flicked the lights off, and Kiba jumped in front of the screen, motioning for everyone to sit down. Once they were seated, he picked up the remote for the projector and stood to one side, holding a kunai like a microphone, gesturing towards the screen.

"Fellow genin of Konoha, honored sensei, I present to you, our mission report for your review! First!"

He pushed a button, and the screen flickered, a fox-eared Naruto coming into focus.

_"**Sit!"**_

_"Chapter one! Feeding your foxboy!"_

Naruto yelled in surprise, and tried to stand, but he realized, too late, that he had been bound in place.

"As you can see, foxes are very messy eaters with no table manners to speak of…"

The genin burst out in laughter, while Naruto tried in vain to free himself and flee.

_"Get him!"_

"Also, they require regular cleaning, and can be total slobs if left to themselves…"

Even the jounin, who seemed apprehensive at first glance of the video, had started to relax as the montage continued.

"Unfortunately, we forgot Foxes could be intensely curious creatures…"

"Kiba! You told me you erased this!"

"I lied."

Kiba shrugged as the fox on screen snuck up behind Hinata while she was doing laundry, nose twitching and poking his head into her basket, coming out with a pair of her unmentionables on his head. Hinata shrieked, onscreen and off, and the foxboy startled at the sound, running rings around the girl as she tried to steal back her laundry. On the couch, Naruto finally stopped squirming, blushing in embarrassment, and Hinata curled up, trying to be small enough to hide from the other genin's grins and glances.

"Finally, the most important thing we learned was that foxboys are very social animals…"

As he spoke, Kiba kept a close eye on the expressions worn by the jounin, eyes darting back and forth so as not to miss anything.

"For proper growth, they need plenty of attention, friendship and acknowledgement…"

There was no way Kiba could keep the tone of his voice from changing. Behind the seated genin, the jounin collectively locked their gazes on Kiba, who kept his eyes fixed on them in turn, his eyes narrowed slightly, almost in accusation.

The camera snuck down a dark hallway, a hand opening a door slowly and sliding into the room, the view approaching a covered bundle of the floor. As the moment approached, Kiba's voice and expression lifted, along with the camera, pointed down at two figures wrapped around each other under the blankets.

"…And lots of **_love!"_**

Dark hair next to fuzzy ears, a smiling Hinata was pressed against Naruto's back, arms tight around him. Hinata fainted at the sight, falling onto Naruto, who was gawking at the sight on screen. The girls present laughed and giggled and cooed as Hinata whispered something and began nibbling on an ear, cheering and clapping for Hinata as she kissed him.

The wires around Naruto loosened, and after looking back and forth between the screen, the genin in front of him, the jounin behind him, and the girl in his lap, he carefully picked Hinata up and tried to wake her.

"Umm…Hinata…"

"Mmmmm…Naruto…"

Half-awake, with the room perfectly quiet, Hinata didn't hesitate grabbing Naruto by the collar, yanking him forward, and kissing him shamelessly. Until the louder males present decided to shout their approval, of course. Then Hinata screamed, pushing Naruto away and over the back of the couch, who landed with a 'thud' and groaning as he pulled himself back up.

"Ouch…"

"S-s-sorry!"

"Girls are weird…"

"Naruto, you idiot!"

Sakura came up behind him and slapped him across the back of the head, a light tap that still sent him back over the sofa and next to Hinata.

"She just kissed you, stupid! Don't call her weird!"

"Ahh, sorry sorry…what am I supposed to do?"

"You kiss her!"

The two genin startled at the shout, the rest either laughing or shaking their heads in disbelief. After a minute of awkward looks, Hinata and Naruto shifted closer to each other, and an arm went out, pulling the girl even closer. After another breathless minute, Naruto pulled her tight, and a cheer went up when their lips finally met.


	10. That first step

NOW it's complete. Thought about making this the first chapter of a new story, but i'm feeling a little muse-less at the moment, so it's up in the air when there'll be a sequel proper.

P.S. read and enjoy, and take a look at something at the bottom for me.

* * *

"Ahh…"

Naruto happily slurped his ramen with Hinata next to him, unaware of the shape stalking up behind him.

"Naruto…you IDIOT!"

Sakura's hand snapped out, grabbing the blonde by the ear and yanking him off the stool.

"You don't -slap- take a girl out on a date -kick- just so you can get -smack- ramen!"

"Sakura-chaan!"

"We're not on a date!"

Sakura paused in the beating she was giving Naruto. Looking up, she noticed Iruka-sensei and Kurenai-sensei in the seats next to Hinata, all looking at her as if she'd gone mad.

"But...you said you were going on a date with Naruto…"

"Tonight! Tonight!" Naruto pulled himself off the ground, brushing the dust off his clothes. "I was getting a snack with Iruka-sensei, and she was walking by with Kurenai-sensei…"

"I had something to discuss with Iruka."

Kurenai stood up and Iruka quickly slurped down the rest of his food, the two of walking a short distance away for a semblance of privacy.

"Oh! Err…sorry…umm…"

While Sakura apologized and tried to make small talk, the two adults watched them from a distance.

"It's nice to see Hinata getting over her shyness."

"Yeah. She seems more confident now, and did very well on our last mission."

When Naruto's griping and Hinata's quiet laughter floated over, they leaned closer together, lowering their voices further.

"He doesn't understand why or how or what exactly he's feeling. Maybe it was just the way Hinata acted towards him while he was under that seal. Maybe he always knew what Hinata thought of him on some unconscious level, but now Naruto is experiencing something that he's never known before. Not from his friends, his teammates, his sensei or even from me."

"Love."

Hinata dove into the dirt to save his ramen, knocked away by one of Sakura's flailing arms. Iruka straightened and smiled as Naruto curled around Hinata protectively as Sakura turned her attention to the dark-haired girl.

"So I can count on your support?"

Kurenai straightened and smiled as well, seeing the happiness on her student's face. This time, it was Naruto's turn to blush when he saw it.

"Of course. I'd do whatever I could for Hinata's happiness."

A note was discretely passed to Iruka with all the skill she could muster.

"But some of _these _people may have…objections."

"Thank you for the forewarning, Kurenai-sensei."

Sakura turned to leave, and Naruto waved goodbye.

"Naruto!"

"Yes?"

"Don't forget what I told you! This is your first date. Be serious, like it's an A-rank mission!"

"I will!!"

Naruto gave Hinata a kiss on her cheek before the group separated, going their separate ways. Hinata smiling, Kurenai's hand patting her shoulder in congratulation. Iruka headed to the academy, the note tiny but heavy in his pocket. Naruto strutting away, going over the evening's preparations in his head.

And around them all, a dozen angry glares, angry at the boy's happiness, and angrier still that they were powerless to do anything about it.

* * *

Later that evening, Naruto paced in front one of Konoha's better restaurants, in clothes that Iruka had helped him pick out, not too casual or too dressy, not that he owned any dress clothes to begin with. He had made sure to arrive a half-hour early, and was now stuck waiting and worrying that he had missed something. 

"Wallet…Hair…Clothes…Hinata…"

"Naruto?"

"Hina…ta?"

When he turned, he saw her wearing a too-big long coat. He couldn't see what was underneath the coat, but when he finally looked up, Naruto blushed a deep crimson.

Hinata was wearing makeup. A soft red on her lips, a very faint blush on her cheeks, and a small, tasteful application around her eyes that accentuated her pale eyes perfectly.

"Y-y-you look…n-nice."

"Thank you. Ino and Sakura helped."

"I'll…have to thank them later…"

Hinata giggled softly, and Naruto nervously offered her his hand, walking hand-in-hand with her into the restaurant.

* * *

It was a dress. 

That was what she was hiding under the coat. A black dress. Again, simple, with a minimum of frills, but when she took the coat off, it was like Naruto was looking at an entirely different person then he Hinata he'd known. A very, very beautiful one.

When she offered him her hand again to walk inside together, he thought he was going to faint. Fortunately, Naruto managed to keep himself together, and decided that this was probably the best night of his life.

After that, things quickly went downhill.

It started with the waiter, who jumped at the sight of the Hyuuga heiress, immediately waving her forward to the front of the line. A burly attendant stepped in front of Naruto, and the two employees nearly spat when Hinata stopped as well and they realized the two were walking together, arm-in-arm. Hinata fixed the man in charge with a glare and he waved the other man away, apparently not walking to risk offending such a powerful clan.

The second hurdle wasn't as easily cleared.

When they walked inside the main dining area, the patrons immediately recognized the girl. The random background noise turned to murmurs that washed up and down the room at the sight of her. A second later, it was several dozen people sucking in their breath, gasping in surprise and half-restrained exclamations when Naruto came into view, followed by dead silence.

Hinata was livid, and Naruto gently pulled her forward behind their waiter. Every face followed them as they walked across the room to a private table, and their voices echoed in the quiet room as they made their orders.

Naruto ate as politely as he could, considering how he normally ate. Hinata barely touched her food, until Naruto began prodding her with a fork, offering a smile to reassure her. The voices around them were low, and the two knew they were the center of attention. Naruto, for once in his life, didn't particularly _care, _which he realized halfway through a conversation about their last few missions, and he knew it had _something _to do with the way Hinata was smiling when she forgot about the onlookers and talked to him.

Hinata's face began to turn downwards at the prospect of the trip back across the room, and as the table was cleared and he helped Hinata to her feet, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it gently. Another quiet ripple of shock sounded through the room, and Naruto gave Hinata a impish smile that she returned before stepping forward and kissing him deeply. The two walked out smiling, with looks that dared anyone who didn't approve to speak up.

Turned out, no one could even look them in the eye.

* * *

"Naruto…" 

The two were making their back to Hinata's home, walking slowly through the streets of Konoha.

"Is it…always like that?"

"No…it was actually a lot worse when I was younger."

His tone was light, and Hinata was stunned that he could talk about it with a grin on his face. None of the people at the restaurant had dared to harass Naruto the moment they saw Hinata with him, but she knew that didn't mean her presence changed how they felt, and she also knew that she had only seen a fraction of what Naruto had endured over the course of his life.

The two walked in silence until the Hyuuga mansion was in sight, with Hinata keeping a tight grip on Naruto's arm the whole time.

"So…I'll see you later, Naruto?"

"Yeah! Ahh...I had a great time. But what are we going to do next time? A movie, maybe? Hmm…"

"A great…but everybody…"

"Huh?"

"The way…everyone was looking at you."

"Not everyone!"

"But-"

Hinata was cut off as Naruto pulled her closer, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"I don't really get it, but no one looks at me like you do. And…" Naruto voice dropped lower, the cheerful tone turning quiet and soft. "And I just feel like…I can't let anything change that. I won't…ever…"

Their lips met, arms tight around each other in the middle of the street for all to see. They paused to catch their breath, but as they leaned towards each other again, the sound of a throat clearing interrupted them.

"Kurenai-sensei!"

She stepped out from around the corner, covering a smile with her hand.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt, but if you take any longer, Hiashi might grow suspicious."

"It doesn't matter…" Hinata turned and accepted a package from Kurenai, disappearing from view. "Soon, everyone will know."

"Of course…"

"Umm…Kurenai-sensei…what are you doing here?"

"Me? Oh, I came along to make sure nothing happened." Her smile stretched from ear to ear. "And it looks like I got here just in time."

From out of sight, Hinata began to cough.

"I-I wouldn't do something like that!"

"I wonder, being Jiraiya-sama's student…"

"AH! Don't compare me to that pervert! I'm a hundred times more responsible than he is!"

Hinata stepped out into sight once again, dressed in her normal clothes. She handed the box back to Kurenai-sensei, bowing slightly.

"Thank you for the dress."

"It was no problem."

"Oh? You gave it to her?"

"I just held onto it. Hinata picked it out herself. What did you think about it?"

"She was beu-err…it was…nice. Yeah. Very nice."

Kurenai worked to keep from laughing out loud at the reversal, seeing Naruto blushing and stammering whenever Hinata was mentioned. The two stumbled though an extended farewell, parting reluctantly. Hinata jumped silently towards her home with Naruto watching over his shoulder as he walked away, and Kurenai moved out of sight, but kept them both in her range of perception until she was sure both were home, safe and sound.

They'd made that first step on their own, but she'd be damned if she wasn't there to make sure it didn't go perfectly.

And without interruption.

* * *

On my profile, there's a link to a forum i've created for something i've thought up...i put it up once before, but took it down. I put it up again, and i need your feedback to decide whether to go for it or not. 


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